Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2026
152. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Defence the communications she has had with other members of the United Nations about Ireland’s departure from the UN mandate to deploy troops abroad; and the interdepartmental communications she has had regarding the timeline of changes to ‘triple lock’ legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8697/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFirstly, the bravery and dedication of all the members of Óglaigh na hÉireann, those currently serving and veterans, who have served their country in UN peace keeping missions are a continuing source of pride and inspiration for us all. Irish peacekeepers have played an essential role in UN missions, not only in UNIFIL but also in a range of other missions over the years such in regions as diverse as Syria (UNDOF), Mali (MINUSMA), Liberia (UNMIL) and Chad (MINURCAT), to reference but a few.
The Government is committed to reforming the legislation governing how we deploy our Defence Forces overseas, and I am committed to seeking new peace keeping missions for our Defence Forces to participate in, for the purpose of peace-keeping and conflict prevention consistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
The proposed reforms follow detailed consideration of the recommendations of the Consultative Forum in 2023 and the inputs of a wide variety of stakeholders into this process. Analysis undertaken to date has highlighted the increasing constraints posed by the requirement for a United Nations Security Council mandate in circumstances where the Council is frequently unable to act due to the use, or threat, of the veto. This has the potential to limit Ireland’s ability to participate meaningfully in UN-mandated or UN-endorsed operations that support international peace and security, including those directly aligned with our long-standing peacekeeping traditions.
Officials from both of my Departments, Department of Defence and of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Mission in New York have ongoing engagement with international partners, including at the United Nations, to provide clarity regarding the nature of the proposed reforms and to reiterate that Ireland remains fully committed to multilateralism, peacekeeping, and the principles of the UN Charter. Furthermore, both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have met on a number of occasions with senior UN personnel and have discussed the proposed changes and I intend to engage directly with them in the near future.
Prior to and since my appointment as Minister for Defence, government engagement on this matter has been extensive. The proposed approach has been discussed and approved by government, and relevant Departments have been consulted with as part of the development of the proposals and the legislative preparations.
There also has been very detailed engagement with the Oireachtas, most recently as part of the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny (PLS) in 2025, which provided the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Security and Defence with the opportunity to examine the Heads and to consult relevant stakeholders on the proposed Bill. The Committee conducted a very thorough piece of work which reflected the views of a wide range of stakeholders. I updated the Government on 27th January this in relation to my views on the recommendations set out in the report. I advised Government that I will be preparing certain amendments to the General Scheme, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General.
Finally, I want to again make it absolutely clear that the Government has no desire to alter our policy of military neutrality. The amendments proposed will do nothing to change Ireland's traditional position of military neutrality, which has always been characterised by Ireland's non-participation in military alliances. Our engagement overseas will continue to be firmly grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international law and will, of course, require the consent of the democratically elected representatives of the people of Ireland.
